Former US marine Karl Kamal Rashid, 58, has been jailed for 35 years in Sterkspruit for strangling to death an unknown man, putting his body in a car and setting it alight, to fake his own death before defrauding Outsurance and FNB of half-a- million rands.
On Tuesday, Mthatha high court acting judge Noluthando Ndzondo, sitting in Sterkspruit, sentenced Rashid to 20 years for murder, and to a total of 15 years for the three fraud counts (five years for each). She ordered that the sentences run concurrently with the 20-year murder sentence.
The crimes were committed by Rashid in September 2011 in Sterkspruit. He had relocated to SA and married a South African woman – a former SANDF Air Force member – Antoinette Noluthando Rashid, 37.
Rashid was initially charged alongside his wife, but the state abandoned their case against her when it transpired during the trial that there was insufficient evidence to prove she had been aware that her husband had faked his death.
The judge found in favour of the state which argued that on September 12 2010 Rashid took out a rash of insurance policies, insuring his life, assets and funeral cover. He then plotted to fake his own death.
The incident occurred on September 3, 2011 when an unknown man was murdered by Rashid, who placed the victim’s body in the driver’s seat, doused the corpse and car with fuel and set it alight.
Rashid then disappeared from his home in Manxeba village in Sterkspruit.
His wife made claims from his insurance policies – from Outsurance, First National Bank, and Kansas City Life Insurance.
She was paid out R512, 470 by the insurance firms.
However, police alerted the insurance companies about a possible fraud. Rashid was tracked down by the Eastern Cape Hawks to a flat in Bloemfontein on December 5, 2011. “'There is a difference between remorse and regret. I don't believe that you are genuinely remorseful,”' the judge said.
Rashid had wasted a huge amount of state resources and after he denied involvement in the crime, had resulted in a trial-within-a-trial with eight witnesses having to be called.
The judge said Rashid had betrayed the trust of South Africa. She said of the victim: “Because he was unknown and nobody could trace him. His family obviously is looking for him and do not know whether he is dead or alive.
“Also the people of Sterkspruit were traumatised by your [Rashid’s] so-called ‘death’,” the judge said.
“You put a strain in the international relations between US and South Africa.”
Rashid requested to address the court. He broke down and asked for forgiveness from the US and SA governments and the people of Sterkspruit, saying he was remorseful. He said his acts had brought shame upon him and his home of origin, the US.
He confessed to all charges. He said he had written a fake suicide note and left it at home to further justify his “death”.
''I am sorry, and apologise to the people of Sterkspruit. I love this place. In my 23 years as a soldier, I never killed anyone, but now, here, away from my country I have made a stupid mistake of killing a man.
“I do not know the identity of the man I killed and burnt inside my car. I ask for all people to forgive me. I am sorry.”
But during cross-examination, state prosecutor Sibusiso Nolutshungu told him: “You are not remorseful, but regretful and trying to get a lenient sentence. In the past seven years and four months you have been pleading not guilty and only changed your plea last week.”
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said they were happy with the sentence.
Rashid's legal aid lawyer Mawande Nokwali had asked for a 15-year sentence.
lulamilef@dispatch.co.za..